Travellers suffer further delays

New security procedures have led to a fourth day of disruption to flights at the UK's busiest airports. Ryanair has cancelled more than 30 flights from Stansted and British Airways cancelled a third of Heathrow flights and more than 20 from Gatwick. BA has criticised operator BAA, which owns all three airports, calling on them to increase resources. But BAA said these were "unprecedented times" and "the safety and security of the public is the utmost priority". Tony Douglas, BAA's chief executive officer for Heathrow, said: "We are all responding to a national security threat. "Given that this is the busiest time of the year, I think we should actually commend the work of the airlines, their staff and the operational staff for doing a really first-class job." CABIN LUGGAGE ALLOWED Pocket-sized wallets/ purses, plus contents Passports/ travel tickets Prescription medicines, not in liquid form unless verified as authentic Essential medical items, eg diabetic kit Glasses & sunglasses, no cases Contact lens holders, no solution Baby food & milk for those with infants - bottle contents must be tasted by accompanying passenger Essential sanitary items for infants Female sanitary items, unboxed Tissues, unboxed, or handkerchiefs Keys, but no electric key fobs About 500 passengers spent the night at Heathrow on Saturday night, according to an airport spokeswoman. BA's chief executive Willie Walsh said it was an extremely difficult situation but they expected more robust contingency plans from BAA. He said: "We need more resources at the airport, we need more people processing passengers at check-in and through the security systems. "We have hundreds of volunteers from across the BA network providing assistance to our customers and I think it's important that everybody operating at the airport operates together to try and make the operation as robust as possible." Passengers are being advised to check with airlines before setting out and be aware of new hand luggage restrictions. Easyjet said it intended to operate as close as possible to its full programme on Sunday. However the airline urged passengers to pack all items into one piece of luggage to minimise check-in delays and possible cancellations. 'Secure' flying Ryanair, meanwhile, called on the government to provide police or Army reserves to help carry out searches. A Department for Transport spokesman said discussions between the government and BAA on dealing with the situation were continuing. He said: "The security measures are making travel more difficult, particularly at a busy time of year, but they are necessary and will continue to keep flights fully secure." All BA services resumed at Manchester and Birmingham airports on Saturday. Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/4787733.stm

Published: 2006/08/13 12:28:10 GMT